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All About Alora


Alora Information


Alora is situated in the center of one of the most beautiful areas that Andalucia has to offer.
The main part of the town is on top of a hill, with the church and cemetery at the very top. The cemetery has wonderful views of the valley and countryside, and is a genuine place of peace.

Álora is at the top of the Guadalhorce valley, inland from Malaga. Good roads connect Alora with Malaga, and the local train runs frequently into the city centre. The railway station is situated down in the valley by the river. Along the sides of the valley are many fincas, farm houses. The town of Alora is completely surrounded by spectacular views, in every direction.

A few kilometres north of Alora is El Chorro and the Embalsas de Guadalhorce, which are massive reservoirs, easily visible as you approach Malaga airport by air. El Chorro and the Embalsas are within a National Park setting, and there barbecue areas set up for anyone to use. The end sequence of the movie Von Ryans Express (1965), where Frank Sinatra is running after the train, was shot here. You can walk round the mountain railway, on the cliffs around the mountain, where the film was made, but beware, the cliff path is precarious and some people have had accidents, so please be careful.

Alora is a white village, one of many in Andalucia. Close to the stunning El Chorro gorge (12km), Ardales (20km), known as Andalusian lake-district. Here you can swim, canoe and walk. El Torcal de Antequerra (35km) a landscape with bizar calcareous rockformations is a unique natural spot in Europe and the Sierra de las Nieves (35km). Alora is a perfect base for exploring the area and discovering the beauty of nature, as well as visiting the golden triangle cities:
Córdoba (155km), Granada (130km) and Sevilla (195km).
A visit to Málaga (35km), the capital of the Costa del Sol, and its playground Marbella, is also recommended.

Also popular are outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, rafting and photography. Golf courses nearby. The beaches of the Costa del Sol are on a 40 minutes drive. The area is perhaps best known for the opportunities it provided for rock-climbing (over 500 routes). The mountains of 'Valle de Abdalajis' (15km) are internationally known amongst paragliding fraternity as one of the best areas in Europe for this sport during the winter season.   
 
Alora Festivals

Of all the celebrations and festivals in Alora, the most important is Easter. On Good Friday a ceremony takes place called "la Despedida", The Goodbye, in which the effigies of the Dolorosa and Jesus of Nazareth are carried through the streets of Alora. The festival of Alora's patron saint, Saint Paulino, is celebrated at the beginning of August, with a cattle fair and numerous popular acts. In July Alora hosts a flamenco festival, and the next sunday after the 8th of May, there is a pilgrimage to the convent of Nuestra Señora de la Flores. Among the local folklore are the fandango of Alora, the local song and dance, which is never left out of local family celebrations.

Easter Good Friday "La Despedida" (The Goodbye)
Holy Week is known for its fervour and splendour. The Goodbye stands out as the act that celebrates the morning of the Holy Friday. People sometimes kneel down beside the effigies of the Dolorosa and Jesus of Nazareth and then accompany them as they are carried around the town, and into the night.

Carnival
As with the rest of the Catholic world, carnival is celebrated 40 days before Lent. Most Andalucian towns stage some kind of Carnival, where there is usually dancing, and a Carnival Queen contest.

Verdiales de las Cruzes Festival

In 1994, a tradition that had been in lost for more than 25 years was recovered. Thanks to the joint effort of the town halls of Álora, Almogía, Cártama, and Pizarra, The Holiday Of Verdiales Of The Crosses was again celebrated. This festival is celebrated on the May 1st.

Summer Fairs

Every town and village in Andalucia has its own Feria (Fair or Party), as does Alora. The summer Feria originated in the middle ages and was the principal means of interchange of local products within the kingdom. During the day the Feria takes place in the streets of the town which are closed to traffic, some businesses close for the whole Feria week. Bars are set up in the open air which serve different types of food and drink. Usually each bar provides their specialty of the house, which may be a Tapa, (a snack served on a very small plate with a piece of bread on the side), or a particular Jamon, (salt cured ham which is really, really delicious). Everyone enjoys themselves and people of all ages sing and dance in the street. Alora is warm and welcoming to visitors that come during the Feria.

At night the streets go quiet and the Feria moves to a large public area on the outskirts of the town, where a fairground and amusement park is set up, with lots of rides. Also set up are large tents, called casetas, each are sponsored by various clubs, associations or political organizations of the town, some have live entertainment, all have a bar that serves food. Be sure to to ask permission before you enter a caseta, which is the polite thing to do.   
 
 Alora Nature
Alora Natural Enviroment

Alora's municipality covers a large area. To the north is the, Arco Calizo Central, the Antequerana Mountain range, that has spectacular views of the Sierra de Huma mountains, ALT 1,191 metres, and the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, an area whose administration is shared by Ardales. To the west of Alora is the Sierra de Aguas, ALT 949 metres, that leads towards the Serranía de Ronda mountain range, with its pine forests that stretch from the Guadalhorce river to the road that links Álora with Carratraca, see Map. On the eastern side of the Guadalhorce, the landscape smooths out, into small hills cultivated in cereal, and some olive and old oak plantations. This region cuts a natural corridor that crosses the province from Periana to Alora, and is separated by the AntequeranaMountain range from the Mountains of Malaga.

Garganta del Chorro

Garganta del Chorro is one of Andalucia's geographical wonders, an immense chasm cut by the river through a limestone mountain. Fifty kilometres north-west of Málaga is the Rio Guadalhorce which carves its way through the Garganta del Chorro, El Chorro Gorge, up to 400 m deep and in some places only 10 m wide. El Chorro Gorge is about 4 km long and is traversed by the main railway route from Málaga, with 12 train tunnels and six bridges, but also by a footpath, the Camino del Rey, which for long stretches becomes af perilously decaying concrete catwalk clinging to the side of the gorge up to 100 m above the river.
Garganta is popular among climbers because here you find many perfect vertical walls. The name Garganta means "Throat", and in it self the nature is very impressive. It is a place where high narrow mountains make it difficult for the passage of water. Camino del Rey is named so because Alfonso XIII reputedly walked it in 1921, when he opened the dams and reservoirs above the gorge wich supply much of Málaga province's water. The camino has been in a state of alarming disrepair for years and has been officially closed since 1992 but there's nothing to stop adventurous folk with a head for heights from using parts of it. When you arrive by car you must pass the water by way of a dam, shortly before you reach the end of the lake. Turn left right after the dam and park you car. The rest of the way is on foot, following the right side of the lake.

Torcal de Antequera
This national park lies in high mountains in a distance of about 1 hour driving north of Malaga. The rocks are unusual and heavily eroded. When you walk about it is as if you see faces in the rocks. El Torcal Park Nature Reserve, 13 km south of Antequera and 32 km north of Málaga, covers 17 km2 of beautiful and impressive limestone landscape. The whole area was below sea level until one hundred million years ago, when violent movements of the Earth's crust forced it 1,300 metres upward into the hills and mountains. The limestone retained its horizontal formation, and, over the years, the weather has chiselled it into amazing shapes.

Look out for La Copa (The Wineglass), El Lagarto (The Lizard) and La Loba (The She-wolf) amongst the natural rock sculptures. Griffin vultures sometimes appear overhead, their huge wingspans creating a spectacular sight as they glide noiselessly through the sky. Three walking routes have been marked out for visitors, with different coloured arrows on wooden sticks.

Carratraca
Spa Baths which are Roman in their splendour. A spring of sulphurous water flows from the mountainside at a rate of 700 litres per minute. Two magnificent oval baths are surrounded by columns and a connecting architrave, their enclosing walls set with brilliant blue and yellow tiles. The curative properties of the sulphuric springs in Carratraca captured the attention of the Romans, who left copper and silver coins with effigies of Tiberio, Claudio, and Caesar in the site known as La Glorieta, and a late-Roman necropolis in Los Maderos, near the Cañas brook.

Ardales National Park
An area of stunning beauty of forests and mountains. Within the Park is a remote area on top of one of the many mountains is a place called Bobastro. Here you can see the ruins of a fort built in the year 900 by Umar Ibn Hafsun.Who is said to have set up a kingdom in defianceof the Caliph of Cordoba. His conversion to Christianity resulted in an amazing Church been built, hewn from a single huge boulder.  
 
 Alora Places
Alora has many interesting places that is well worth a visit, buildings from the 17th century and roman ruins, and a very old moosrish castle. The town came under the domination of the Crown of Castille in 1484, when it was conquered by Ferdinand and Isabella. Alora Moorish Castle
Álora is situated in the heart of the GuadalhorceValley. The town centre, and old Moorish castle, are perched on top of a hill, making the to entrance Alora one of the most spectacular of any town in Andalucía. The castle chapel consists of a Gothic vault which was historicaly known as, The Towers. The rest of the building has long since fallen down and has become a cemetery for the people of the town.

AloraChurch of the Encarnation
This is the third largest church in the Malagaprovince. The 17th century church's interior is divided into three naves that are separated by thick stone columns and wooden arches.

Alora Chapel of La Veracruz

The Capilla del Cristo de la Veracruzis a small 16th century building. The floor plan is irregular as it has been restructed continually over the centuries, leaving very little of the original construction.

Flores Convent (Santuario De Nuestra Señora De Flores)

The Convento de Flores is a religious building that dates from the 16th century. It is Baroque in style and has a single nave structured in timber.

Hermitage of Santa Brígida (Ermita de Santa Brigida)

Situated beside Alora's railway station, this building dates from the 16th century. The original frescos can still be seen inside.

The Humilladero Cross (Cruz del Humilladero)

A cross shaped building, situated near the Flores Convent. It was commissioned to commemorate the event of the last Moorish mayor handing over of the keys of Álora to the Christian forces in 1484.   
 
Alora History

 Alora was a Roman town with Latin rights, with the name of Iluro.The town of Álora covers a small hill that looks over the Guadalhorce river. Under the castle's towers were once bastions of trade and merchandise, the Bobastro domains, outstand over the city, which is shelted discretely between two small headlands and the impressive Hacho mountain (ALT 559 m). The municipality extends over a large territory in which there are great formations of the Málaga relief. To the north of the Arco Calizo Central, the Antequera range, there is the spectacular Sierra de Huma (ALT 1,191 m) and the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, which is shared with the neighbouring municipalities of Ardales and Antequera. To the west of the Sierra de Aguas (ALT 949 m) the land follows the complex mountain range of Serrania de Ronda, in a landscape of pine groves, from the Guadalhorce river to the road that joins Alora with Carratraca.

To the east of the Guadalhorce, the landscape becomes smoother, over gentle hills that grow cereals, some olive trees and some remains of the old holm oak grove; this is the natural corridor that crosses the province from Periana to Alora, and separates the Antequera range from the mountains of Malaga. These mountains also reach Alora from the western half of the territory, with its characteristic maze of hills that are covered in olive and almond trees, and thickets.
Alora is part of the Guadalhorce valley, with its peaceful beauty, of fruit orchards, which paint the valley in green.
Alora’s history dates back to prehistory, which can still be seen in places like the Hoyo del Conde, the Count’s plain, which is not very far from Alora. The Turdetans from Tartessos and the Phoenicians discovered great commercial possibilities in this area. The Phoenicians built Alora's castle’s foundations, which the Romans later took over and fortifed.

The Romans left other important land marks, like milestones which show the old Roman road, and on one the inscription reads, Municipium Iluritanum (79 B.C.). The romans called Alora, Iluro. Then the Phoenicians called Alora, Alura. But actually the local people of Álora, (hard A), have always known what their town was called, and when asked by the Phoenicians or Romans, "What do you call this town?", they simply told them.

During the Visigoda era the castle fort's nucleus was built, which was later renovated and amplified by the Moors. The rebellion of Omar-Ben-Hafsun took place in this era, and due to its proximity to Bobastro, affected the whole area by commerce and agriculture.
During the Middle Ages the christian royalists tried to overtake the villageof Alora, which resisted their attacks.
In one of the attacks, the governor of Andalusia was killed, Don Diego de Rivera, at the foot of the castle walls, in 1434. This tragic news was capitalized by the Romancero, (the Romancero ballads), the well known Romance of Alora, which has been reproduced in its entirety on a plaque in the Castle. In 1484, Alora’s square fell to the Catholic king's forces.

In the 16th and 17th century, Alora became a haven for Spain's favoured. Alora's prosperity grew due to the presence of numerous distinguished people, who began an early form of tourism in Alora. In 1628, Alora was segregated from the municipality of Malaga, 'Forever', in a deed signed by King Felipe IV of Spain.